NEXTGEN TV launches in Nashville

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020
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Major Broadcasters Launch NEXTGEN TV On Five Nashville Network-Affiliated Television Stations

  • WTVF, WKRN-TV, WZTV, WUXP-TV, WNAB Begin Broadcasting with New Technology

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Five of Nashville’s leading local network-affiliated television stations — WTVF (CBS), WKRN-TV (ABC), WZTV (FOX), WUXP-TV (MyNet) and WNAB (CW) — today became among the first in the nation to begin broadcasting with NEXTGEN TV, a revolutionary new digital broadcast technology. Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet, digital apps, and other web services, NEXTGEN TV can support a wide range of features currently in development, such as immersive audio and video (up to 4K), broadcasting to mobile devices, personalized viewing tools, and advanced emergency alerts that provide rich media rather than simple text messages. NEXTGEN TV also allows full integration with 5G and other broadband-delivered Internet content.

Powered by ATSC 3.0, NEXTGEN TV, is the most significant broadcast technology upgrade ever. The Nashville launch is one of the first in the country for NEXTGEN TV and follows a decade of development of the new technology and a year of planning and preparation by the local stations. BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning and coordinated efforts across the five stations.

The participating stations have cooperated to ensure that all existing programming remains available to all viewers, regardless of whether they receive their television service by antenna, or by cable or satellite. Antenna viewers should simply rescan their TV sets to ensure full service.

Mark Aitken, Senior Vice President of Advanced Technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of WZTV and WUXP-TV said, “Innovation in the arts is in the soul of Nashville. It’s only appropriate then for us to usher in the latest revolution in broadcast technology. We are excited to bring the benefits of NEXTGEN TV to Music City and introduce our viewers to an extraordinary new TV experience.”

“The rollout of NEXTGEN TV in Nashville represents another strong step forward in bringing a new and modern broadcasting experience to audiences across the country,” said Scripps Local Media President Brian Lawlor. “Local television has long provided a platform to tell the stories that both inform and engage, and today we continue to see the pivotal role it plays in capturing the stories of a generation. With the technology enhancements of NEXTGEN TV, Nashville broadcasters will be able to continue serving families with even greater storytelling capabilities.”

“Nexstar is pleased to continue building the momentum for NEXTGEN TV with this roll-out at WKRN-TV, our Nashville television station,” said Brett Jenkins, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Nexstar. “This process becomes easier with each deployment we execute, and we are excited about the innovations ahead as we move toward significant viewer upgrades in the visual experience, interoperability with the internet, and the ability to better target advertising.”

Dennis Breckey, Station Manager of WNAB/Nashville Broadcasting, LP said, “Nashville is a strong community with a history of meeting challenges head-on and embracing innovation. We are proud to be a part of that by providing this new technology to help Middle Tennessee stay informed, entertained and connected in more ways than ever before.”

John Hane, President of BitPath, said, “The launch of five stations in Nashville today marks the largest ATSC 3.0 deployment BitPath’s transition team has supported to date. WZTV, WUXP-TV and WKRN-TV will be charter participants when we launch BitPath’s data broadcasting network and will bring new coverage and significant capacity depth. We look forward bringing exciting new wireless data broadcasting services to Nashville’s businesses and citizens.”